Plans for Podcast Series in the Works

Dear fans of the blog, I am now considering a podcast series might be called either

• “Aristotle, Darwin, and Jesus walk into a bar…”
• “The Prodigal Son” [for personally meaningful reasons]
• ”The Three Wisdoms Project: Philosophy, Science, and Faith.”

Each of the “three wisdoms” is a competing candidate for the supreme form of knowledge which is alleged by various people to outrank other claims for the highest form of knowledge, each of whom is represented by

• Aristotle (philosophy) – representing the possibility that we have access to a supreme source of wisdon apart from faith and natural science.
• Darwin/Dawkins (natural science) – the idea that natural science is our highest form of wisomd that has not replaced philosophy and faith.
• The Bible (faith) – the idea, common in most traditional cultures, that faith trumps the other two forms of reason.

The podcast episodes will fall under the following headings:

1. The Philosophy of Aristotle
2. Intermission – Empedocles the proto-evolutionist and failed messiah.
3. Aristotle’s answer to Empedocles: the pre-Darwinian view of the cosmos.
4. Darwin’s theory.
5. Dawkin’s “Selfish Gene” theory.
6. Aristotle’s Virtue ethics and politics.
7. A Darwinian view of religion: the test case of the Bhagavad Gita.
8. Faith and the Bible: a Darwinian interpretation.

The individual podcast episodes will probably be as follows:

I. The Philosopher – Aristotle

1. What is knowledge and wisdom? Aristotle Metaphysics A.1,2
2. Early naturalism and materialism – Aristotle Metaphysics A.3,4,8
3. Early idealism – Aristotle Metaphysics A,5,6,9
4. The Four Causes – Aristotle Metaphysics A.10, α.2
5. The Wisdom Aristotle seeks is “first philosophy” – Aristotle Metaphysics B, Γ.1,2
6. The “Three Laws of Thought” – Aristotle Metaphysics Γ.3-8
7. The sacred science deals primarily with “Substance” – Aristotle Metaphysics Z.1-6
8. Substance and essence – Aristotle Metaphysics Z.11-17
9. Substance and definition – Aristotle Metaphysics H
10. Potentiality and actuality – Aristotle Metaphysics Θ.

II. Intermission – Empedocles

11. The Physics and Katharmoi.
12. Empedocles’ theory of evolutionary cosmic cycles

III. Back to Aristotle

13. Substance and metaphysical cosmology – Aristotle Metaphysics Λ.1-5
14. Aristotle’s God and Cosmic Order – Aristotle Metaphysics Λ.6-10
15. Aristotle’s De Anima.
16. Practical good – Aristotle’s NE I
17. Virtue – Aristotle’s NE II-V
18. Moral and intellectual virtue – Aristotle’s NE VI
19. Virtue and Pleasure – Aristotle’s NE VII
20. Friendship – Aristotle’s NE VII-IX
21. Pleasure and Eudaimonia (translated as ‘happiness’) – Aristotle’s NE X.
22. The nature of politics – Aristotle’s Politics I.
23. The nature of the household or family – Aristotle’s Politics II.
24. Utopian politics (e.g. Plato’s Republic) and the nature of political unity. – Aristotle’s Politics III.1-8.
25. Existing states and lawgivers – Aristotle’s Politics IV.9-12.
26. More from – Aristotle’s Politics ? I am tempted to go on, but there is just so much there…

IV. Charles Darwin

27. “Introduction” and “Variation under domestication” – Darwin’s The Origin of Species.
28. “Variation under nature”– Darwin’s The Origin of Species.
29. “The struggle for existence” – Darwin’s The Origin of Species.
30. “Natural selection” – Darwin’s The Origin of Species.
31. “Conclusion” – Darwin’s The Origin of Species.
32. “Evidence for the descent of man” – Darwin’s The Descent of Man.
33. “Manner of development” – Darwin’s The Descent of Man.
34. “Comparison of mental powers” – Darwin’s The Descent of Man.
35. “Affinities and genealogy” – Darwin’s The Descent of Man.
36. Summary and Conclusion – Darwin’s The Descent of Man.

V. Richard Dawkins

37. “Why are people?” – Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene.
38. The Immortal Replicators – Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene.
39. “Immortal Coils” – Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene.
40. “The gene machine” – Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene.
41. “Aggression” – Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene.
42. “Genesmanship” – Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene.
43. “Family planning” – Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene.
44. “Battle of the generations” – Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene.
45. “Bettle of the sexes” – Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene.
46. “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” – Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene.
47. “Memes: the new replicators” – Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene.
48. “Nice guys finish first” – Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene.
49. “The long reach of the gene” – Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene.
50. “Necker cubes and buffaloes” – Richard Dawkins, The Extended Phenotype.
51. “Host phenotypes of parasite genes” – Richard Dawkins, The Extended Phenotype.

VI. Intermission: The Dharma

52. Bhagavad Gita

VII. The faith of the Bible

53. God’s justice is not up for debate with humans: Job.
54. God made humans for his own “glory” to “rule the earth” – Genesis.
55. Righteousness within multicultural empires – Exodus.
56. The acquisition of territory by the “hlessi” – Joshua.
57. The loss of territory and a call for a serious reconsideration of what must be done – [a Prophet?]
58. A radically new adaptive strategy is proposed – Luke-Acts.
59. Paul’s view of the strategy – [Ephesians and/or Hebrews]
60. The origins of the current primary world conflict – John’s Gospel and Revelation

VIII. Recap and Conclusion

61. The final episode?

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